A Rose for Crona?
by DemonicPandaDoll
Summary: Reika is odd, in her quiet dealings. Maybe that's why she finds Crona so appealing. She'll try to befriend him and be stronger for her partner, Zephyr. CronaXOC  To be simple, Crona will be male in this.
1. New Day

AGAIN, I'm starting a new story. I really need to finish my other two, but hey, I don't think I'll be learning soon.

Soul Eater does not belong to me, but the OC does.

It was another glorious day in the famous Death City. The birds were chirping lively, the sun overhead, chuckling away at God-knows-what, and people were going along as if everything was normal, like nothing was wrong with the world. It made me sick to think they could put what happened last night aside.

Yesterday, Lord Death had invited everyone to spend a night dancing, just enjoyment for some sort of tradition (I think, I'm not good at remembering, and asking my partner makes him mock me). Because of that, the kishin Asura was freed. Of course, I got free with Maka and the others, but since Zephyr, decided he'd "rather not babysit," I was left unable to help the others. A drag really, but if I'd even tried to distract, there was a good possibility that I'd get killed, or get someone else killed. So I wandered the city, helping citizens to the best of my ability.

And now everything was supposed to be normal? I didn't think so. Of course, that was just me. And who was I to say anything? Shy little Reika, that's who. Not that I really mattered. I guessed I played a good enough role in this mini war, but not enough. Right now, my thoughts were on how odd it was, how normal everyone was acting. The kishin was free, after all, and yet we had school today. Boring. Not that I wanted to see everything in chaos. My overly caring demeanor wouldn't let me see anything good in that.

I leaned against the wall, just by the entrance to the school. The DWMA. I loved this placed, the people in it especially. Beside me was my partner and weapon, Zephyr. He was more cold than I, but I guess that was what made us balanced. He barely showed any care, except when it came to my well being. Maybe it was because we'd been partners for some time now. Probably that.

Eventually, the seven meisters that had to witness failure passed me. Maka and Soul arrived the earliest, and after a minute or two of chat, Maka excused the both of them to go inside. Kid showed up next, only exchanging an acknowledging nod to me. Patti gave her usual, loud hello, and Liz just went on. Black Star and Tsubaki arrived last, and they didn't notice me for even a second. I didn't blame them though. The look in their eyes, and in the eyes of those before them, revealed disappointment, and a bit of rage.

I couldn't say I wasn't disappointed, but all the same, I wasn't there, wasn't given a chance to be useful at all. So, I didn't really feel it the way they did. They did their best though. At least we had an idea of what the enemy could do, and that Medusa was gone.

Speaking of Medusa…

"Zephyr, let's get going now," my soft voice chimed, my body leaving the comfort of the wall. Zephyr followed suit, and in any ordinary scene, someone would stare at us. I didn't blame them, since we were at a major difference in height. Zephyr was about an entire foot taller than my five-foot, three-inches. Don't get me wrong, he was a year or two older than I was as well, but that's a story for another day.

"Reika, remind me again why you're skipping school to do this… And why you're dragging me along." That usual cool, uncaring tone. I could tell he cared, but anyone else would think he was a jerk.

The slightest smile touched my lips as we walked together. He was close enough that I could tug at his hand like a child would to their mother. "Because I'm curious. You can't tell me you aren't either." He grew silent at that, our only noise coming from our boots hitting the ground.

"Besides," I dared to continue. "If something happens I want to be able to do something. Not be useless because you didn't want to babysit me."

Aside from a light clicking noise, he remained silent. He knew it was true, and decided not to insult or mock me. Zephyr's choice. I liked it for once.

I was actually a bit surprised that no one stopped us, especially with the destination I had in mind. Being that it was a very recent event as well, I was amazed I got all the information I needed. My family wasn't particularly aimed towards being ninja or assassin, but we were adept enough in listening in. Guess that made me a spy. Or just an ordinary, lucky eavesdropper. Didn't matter to me. I knew how to get information, and that was all that mattered.

My footsteps slowed drastically, until we came to a complete stop outside a door. I glanced at Zephyr, my eyes stating the obvious; We were there. Silently, he mouthed for me to go ahead and hurry this up. My heart was beating a million times too fast for my comfort. Was I nervous? Yes. Was I still going to go through with this? Of course. No backing down, a crept noiselessly towards the door, pulling myself to my toes to peer through the opening. Silent. Damn, I was hoping to hear someone, instead of having to pray I was at the right place. I didn't see anyone either. Not looking good so far.

'_I wish I were sure… But I guess I gotta check now…'_ Summing up all my courage to my vocal cords, I dared to ask the question that would start a chain reaction later…

"Is there anyone named Crona in there…?"

But I guess it's a bit fuzzy here… Maybe thinking about how I got to this exact point would help me.

My own tale of what happened.

Guess that's alright for an opening chapter. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!


	2. Beginnings

Chapter two, and I'm already determined to get this story done. Then again, with my mind, it'll take a while.

So, Soul Eater doesn't belong to me, but Reika and Zephyr are my creations.

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><p>It all mainly began the first day I arrived to the DWMA. Since that day, I haven't changed my looks all too much (not my battling outfit, no, but casual and formal tended to change). My outfit consisted of a dark grey tank top under an off-shoulder black shirt, black shorts, and black boots. Simple enough. My hair, another story. It was cut into layers (one above and one just below y shoulders), with the bangs covering my right eye and just hacked so my left was visible. The ends were colored red, and I wore dark red, fingerless gloves. I tried not to be complicated, but it happened.<p>

When I arrived, I saw people interacting with each other. Guess the meisters were getting their weapons, in one way or another. The crowd made me uneasy, so I ran away, a blush on my face. Crowds weren't my thing.

I was so occupied with keeping my legs moving that I wasn't focused on where I was going. Until, of course, I ran into someone. Literally. I went tumbling backwards with a yelp, squeezing my eyes shut. I waited for whatever was going to happen, to actually happen. No physical hits happened, but I heard a click of the tongue, and someone patting down their clothes.

"You might want to watch where you're going brat… And get up, you look pathetic."

Something grabbed my arm, pulled me roughly to my feet. My silver-white eyes opened wide, meeting coal black ones. A guy had run into me… And now he was super close! With a loud squeak, I pulled away, then bowed. "I-I'm so sorry mister! I didn't see you!"

He was dressed plainly enough, in a dark t-shirt and black leather jacket. He wore semi-baggy shorts, adorned with chains, and black boots. His hair was shaggy too. I didn't know whether to be scared of him, or if I should just keep staring in awe. The second of the two happened.

A few seconds later he seemed to size me up. "Aren't you supposed to be in school kid?" I looked towards the ground finally, my heart racing. Stupid nerves.

"Y-yeah… But, it'd be weird to go there. I don't have a weapon…" He seemed amused by that, then proceeded to introduce himself, who he was, and what he was. He was, in basic terms, a weapon that turned into a glove, fitted with large claws. When I asked why he didn't have a meister, he explained that his kind usually came in a pair, and since he couldn't find another weapon to match wavelengths with him, he left. An idea hit me. It was daring, but I had to.

"Zephyr… Turn into your weapon form please… Maybe we can match soul wavelengths." He laughed at me, muttered a few words (sounded like insults aimed towards me), then transformed in a bright white light. A wristlet wrapped around my right wrist, a bar appearing for me to grab in my palm. Five sizeable, sharp blades protruded from the base. It was carved to look like a skeleton's hand over mine. A beautiful weapon…

I stood there for a few minutes, just holding the weapon that was Zephyr. "Uh…" I didn't know. Was something supposed to happen? "How does it feel," he asked impatiently. Apparently pairing with a kid like me wasn't in his interest. Too bad for him.

"Well… I feel normal… Nothing hurts like the souls are rejecting each other…"

In an instant, he was back to his human form, and I was holding onto his hand. "Impossible! No way a brat like you could match my soul wavelength!" He shook me until my teeth rattled, while I whined for him to stop. "B-b-beggars can't be choosers! Besides, you could become a death scythe now!"

That seemed to make him stop, made him rethink his rough treatment to me. Finally, he released me, my eyes spinning. "Fine… I'll tolerate you for the time being… But you better get those souls for me, or else."

We shook hands, and Zephyr pushed me in the direction of the school. We were already late, but it'd be best to show up at least. Every little shove he gave me made me shake a bit. Was it because it was him, or was I just really nervous? I didn't know, but I wished he would stop. I could walk. I'd found him, I could easily find the school again.

When we got to the entrance, he stopped. "So, what's the name of the little punk that I'll have to work with," he asked. Apparently he wasn't about to let me go ahead without introducing myself to him. I turned around, pushing my hair from my face, the silvery-white of my eyes catching the sun, only briefly. I bowed again. "I'm Reika…" He was unimpressed, and we entered the school in silence.

Upon entering the class, the teacher called me out, asked me why I was late. I looked at Zephyr, hoping he'd be some help, but all he said was that "the idiot" had gotten lost on her way to the school. Everyone stared, which made me uncomfortable, which could easily be noted by my tugging at my shorts. With a disapproving grunt, I was dismissed to sit down, Zephyr following with a cool expression on his face. Maka and Tsubaki were the only ones that gave me a sympathetic look; Everyone else just giggled, aside from Black Star gloating about how I should be a better, more responsible meister like he was. I just set my head on the desk and sighed defeatedly. _'Jerk...'_

This was before Kid joined the school. Before Maka and Soul had to worry about the black blood. Before Black Star had to tamper with the powers that Tsubaki's enchanted sword mode.

Before Zephyr and I met at a solid ground called friendship.

Things changed, obviously, and Zephyr and I are closer, but we were talking about back then.

While my memory may get fuzzed up a lot, the one memory I could never forget, not even a fragment, was the day Zephyr and I became solid friends.

The day our strained relationship relaxed.

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><p>Chapter two is over with! Just thought I'd give Reika and Zephyr a background before starting the actual story. See you all next chapter!<p> 


	3. Backbone

Chapter three! I'm getting this one done faster than my others, haha. Oh well…

I do not own Soul Eater, just Reika and Zephyr. Stupid disclaimer…

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><p>For the next few weeks, Zephyr and I learned to (somewhat) tolerate each other. Class became bearable, everyone having forgotten our first appearance together. The only embarrassing part was the stares that seemed to follow us. One thing I didn't notice until the third or fourth day was the difference in mine and Zephyr's height. It was extremely obvious, and gained quite a number of stares. Of course, my blushing at the unintended attention gave Zephyr an excuse to make fun of me. How our souls had a matching wavelength, I didn't know…<p>

The main issue, I learned in those weeks, was how much Zephyr's taunting actually affected me. Especially on missions. At first it was subtle. We'd head out, get to our mission, then sometime into the fight, Zephyr would ridicule my fighting. He called me weak, unbalanced, often complaining he had the worst partner ever. I thought it was nothing, thought I could handle it. Over time, however, the damage of his words began showing.

As the missions continued, I noticed that my personnel performance was getting worse and worse. We still managed to get our missions done, but they'd take longer, and I always came back with more and more injuries. Zephyr didn't let up on the insults and name-calling. I couldn't understand why though.

Sitting in class, I couldn't focus. I was exhausted, physically and mentally. It was the beginning of class, and our teacher was nowhere to be found. I wanted to tell Zephyr to cool down on the insults and jeers, but how would I do that? How could I tell someone to shut up?

Picking up my head, I decided I had to try. My eyes traveled to Zephyr, seated next to me, his gaze focused on a book. "Um… Zephyr?"

Suddenly he was facing me, eyes sharp and menacing. Confidence went running. "What," he asked, annoyed that I'd interrupted his reading. No words escaped my mouth. I couldn't even open it!

Then, out of thin air, a man in a chair fell into the room. Looking around, I saw Maka's face and Black Star's face fall, not to forget their partners. Did they know the guy? He introduced himself as our teacher, Professor Stein. A change in teachers worked for me. I guess…

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><p>The rest of the day passed rather quickly, and the next morning I woke up dizzy and disoriented. Maybe I should skip school… Nah, there was no point in doing that. I dressed and waited for Zephyr to get me so we could walk to school together. At least those walks with him were enjoyable. No insults or prods, just silence between us.<p>

He arrived, and something about his appearance that morning told me he was in a bitter mood. However, I didn't mention it. I was adept in judging people's moods, but Zephyr didn't need to know. Heck, no one needed to know that. It'd just give them an excuse to think of me as a creep. Not that they didn't probably think that, but considering that it meant I actually looked at people a lot… They'd think something.

At the bottom of the steps that led up to the school, I stretched, and to my horror, I felt my hand smack someone. The sound of something hitting the ground met my ears. Glasses perhaps? Zephyr and I turned simultaneously, and my eyes fell to see Ox, his partner Harvar right behind him. Personally, I didn't like Ox, but if it came down to it, I'd protect him. And any other meister/weapon pair in the academy. Everyone was always there to help each other; It was just who we were.

Sadly, that only applied while being on missions. Inside Death City, we were free to hate and like each other at will. Ox was quick to pick up his glasses, looking directly at me. "You might want to watch yourself Reika. I hope you're going to apologize for that."

I probably would have, if not for Zephyr stepping forward. "Why does she need to apologize," he asked pointedly, staring down Ox. "You were the one walking right behind her. She wouldn't have hit you if you weren't being a creep."

Ox smirked, adjusting his glasses. "Well, she hit me regardless, and I want an apology."

Zephyr's turn to smirk. "She didn't know you were there, hence it's your fault." He stepped closer. "Unless you want to fight about it. Putting runts like you in their place is my job."

I only stared with remote fear. Ox and Harvar were smart, and were held as one of the top pairs. Unfortunately, I was one of the students that didn't care much of it, so I gave off the impression of not caring about that. Until now. Ox smirked, and the next thing I knew, not only was Harvar in his weapon form, but Zephyr was too.

And in that instant, Ox was trying to hit me with Harvar. All I could do was dodge, easy since I was flexible. All the while Zephyr was yelling that I needed to hit Ox. "Reika, hit him now!" "He was open! You're useless!" "Focus you idiot! This isn't how a meister should fight! I don't see any potential in staying with you!"

My mind wanted to stay on the fight, but I turned my attention to the weapon in my hand for a moment. And in that moment, Ox got me, stabbed into my arm, then shocked me. With a yelp, I fell backwards, stars in my eyes. Zephyr was mad. At me. "What the hell was that," he growled. I almost felt his eyes boring into me. "Can't you do anything right Reika? Worthless. That's what you are."

He silenced when he felt me standing slowly. Ox watched. "Ready to just apologize?"

I threw my gaze at Ox, and he immediately shut his mouth. There were no tears in my eyes, and there was no fear. Instead, there was rage. "Zephyr, shut the hell up…" I started slowly, but my words picked up speed. "You call me worthless when I actually try. I can't tell if you're trying at this point! We could make a great team! I know I'm not as bad as you say, and yet you down me! I've only been doing this bad because you are supporting me!" I clenched a fist. "If I'm so bad then you can go away and find a new partner!"

Silence, except for birds chirping. I huffed a few breaths of air, waiting for Zephyr to decide. Finally, I heard him chuckle. "There we go… There's the fire I've been looking for. Now… Let's finish this with a soul resonance."

As we focused our energy to form as one, I couldn't help but feel Zephyr smiling. It was weird… I'd have to ask him later.

The soul resonance conjured wind around my hand, and with a swipe of my weapon, an enormous gust took up Ox and Harvar. My cue. I leapt into the wind, punched Ox in the stomach, then threw him back towards the ground. I landed next to him, smirking, Zephyr returning to his human form. "Guess that's enough for now…"

"Ox," I said, less quivering in my voice. "Sorry for knocking your glasses off of you. See you in class." And with that, we went inside.

I couldn't focus in school. A few people asked Ox why he had a bruise on the back of his head, but he refused to answer, just saying he got in a fight. My mind was buzzing. Why the sudden change with Zephyr? I'd have to ask him after school. And man, until the bell that ended the day rang, I was jittery. School had been too long.

Zephyr decided to walk me home, something out of the ordinary. We got a few more stares, but for once it didn't bother me. Finally, I had to ask him. "You didn't insult me the entire match… Why's that?"

He looked down at me, reminding me of my height, and patted my head, the slightest smile present on his face. "Because you learned that being a coward gets you nowhere."

The look of confusion on my face was enough for him to continue. "I'll explain. I've had two meisters before you, and they quit because I was 'unbearable'. They were like you. No backbone. They never told me off, they just told me to leave. You, on the other hand, finally told me to shut up." He messed up my hair. "You shouldn't be quiet all the time. Being a wimp gets you nowhere."

I smiled lightly, and we arrived at my house. Before he left, I grabbed Zephyr's hand. "Zeph, you seemed unhappy this morning. Why's that?"

Zephyr hesitated, before saying, "I got kicked out of my place for late rent."

I smirked. "Oh, well, go get your things and move in with me. Plenty of room, since my parents made me move in by myself." Zephyr only stared, but he left a few minutes later. I entered my home with a smile on my face. I had finally made some ground with my part.

And from that day on, Zephyr and I became friends, and our personalities changed along with our new found friendship.

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><p>Chapter three done. Chapter four, as a little heads up, will continue from where chapter one left off. Thanks for reading!<p> 


	4. Mishaps

Hey hey, chapter four! I love this story already, it's so fun to write. Thanks to all of you who're reading!

Disclaimer stuff, Soul Eater does not belong to me, but Reika and Zephyr do.

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><p>So now we were here, with me on my toes outside of this "Crona's" door. Now, I had good reasons for being here. Well… Good reasons to me, anyway. For one, he was the meister of the Demon Sword Ragnarok, which made him a big deal. Second, he had Maka freaked and discouraged about fighting for a bit. Something about blood and Soul and something… Anyway, my third reason was that he'd given himself up. Now, these made me curious enough to want to meet him. Though, it might kill me in the end…<p>

Anyway, no one answered the door, which made me knock. "Hello? Anyone in there?" More silence. I could hear the swish of Zephyr shaking his head through the silence. "Maybe you have the wrong room Reika…"

I wasn't ready to give up, but I did lower myself to the doorknob. It was locked, obviously, but not for long. I pulled a pick from my pocket, toyed with the lock for a minute, and with a click, the door unlocked. Pulling the thing open, I entered the room. In my immediate sight were a bed and a barred window. No person though. This place was more of a dungeon than a room, minus having chains and torture devices.

I was about to leave, when my eye caught something in the corner, behind the door. I almost jumped at what I saw. Crowded there was a kid with pink hair. The kid was staring directly at me like I was the plague; I thought he was going to die sitting there. The pillow he had was in his vice grip. He was shaking. Quite noticeably.

We stared at each other silently, wondering if the other was going to make the first move. Well, I was wondering that, and if _this_ was the kid I was looking for. _He_ could not be Crona… Could he?

"Uh… Are… Are you Crona," I finally asked, straightening my posture. He looked away, towards the ground, almost contemplating whether to answer me or not. I didn't plan to leave though. Mean as that was, I wanted an answer.

And an answer I was going to get, for mere seconds later, some black, monster-like thing grew from his back. I jumped away with a squeak, and an instant later, Zephyr was in front of me in a protective stance. When he saw I was alright, he relaxed a bit. I hopped onto Zephyr's back, peering over his shoulder at the monster-thing again.

"Hey, Crona, you know these weirdoes?" It had a somewhat high voice. I couldn't help but smile at it, which made it annoyed. I guess. "Hey, what are you staring at wench?"

I fell back to the ground on my feet, walking towards the boy and the monster protruding from his back. To make him feel comfortable, I crouched to his level. "So, you _are _Crona…" He was trembling like crazy. Was he afraid of me? Of all people, me?

"Hey, relax buddy," I tried in a calmer, quieter tone, smiling sweetly. "I'm not here to hurt you… Neither is he." A quick gesture to Zephyr, who rolled his eyes at me. Crona watched my carefully. He probably didn't trust my movements. I brushed a few strands of hair from his face. "You alright, you seem upset…"

Still nothing from Crona. I looked over to Zephyr, shrugging. "I don't get it Zeph… I was sure he was the one that had Maka riled up…"

That seemed to do something, because when I looked at Crona again, he was looking directly at me, not just an under view. Did something about that sentence make him reconsider? I guess it did, because it finally got him talking. "Y-you know Maka?"

His speech reminded me of myself some time ago… I nodded to him. "Yeah, I know Maka. We're pretty good friends." He smiled, the weakest smile I'd ever seen, at that. Guess that changed his mind about me. "I'm sorry… I just don't know how to handle people coming to attack me…"

I shook my head at that, offered him my hand as a sign of peace. "I'm not here to hurt you. Promise." My eyes sparkled, not dangerously, but excitedly. "I'm more interested in figuring out why you're here." Ragnarok grumbled about me being a hindrance and annoyance, and prodded at Crona's head with his fists, but that was about it.

"Crona's only here because he let a brat with pigtails convince him to stop fighting." Ragnarok really disliked Crona it seemed. I shook my head lightly. He meant Maka. "I-It doesn't matter. I-I'm not that i-important," Crona managed through Ragnarok pulling at his mouth. As much as I wanted to giggle, I shook my head. "Crona, Maka was the reason you surrendered. If you came here because Maka somehow influenced that, then you are important."

Odd thing to say, considering I just met the kid, but it was something to give him a confidence boost. He began whining for Ragnarok to stop. Another shake of my head. "Leave him alone, you're his weapon partner…" Throughout the whole thing, my voice was soft, nothing out of the ordinary. The monster thing only snickered at me, waving a fist at me. "Listen girly, Crona is nothing special, and if you keep sticking around like this, you're gonna be the same!"

Instead of answering immediately, I stood up, brushing the bangs from my eye so both of the silver orbs were visible. I stepped forward, my eyes focused on the demon figure. Crona shrank where he sat. I couldn't really imagine myself being intimidating to anyone; I was short, my voice was just louder than a whisper, and half the time I looked lost, not mad.

Silent minutes passed before I nodded to myself. Zephyr stared at the back of me, keeping his eyes on the situation the entire time, in case something went wrong. Crona seemed confused, but stayed quiet. Before Ragnarok said anything, I smiled, patting the top of Ragnarok's head by standing on my toes. "You know," I chirped, mostly to myself. "You aren't that scary. In fact, you're kind of adorable."

Bad choice of words on my part. Shaking his fists violently, Ragnarok whined, "I am not adorable you brat! How dare you!" And with that, the most embarrassing experience in my life happened. Since I was on my toes and I was a bit on the slim side, it wasn't hard for Ragnarok to yank down my shorts. My eyes went wide, as did Crona's, and in that moment, I shrieked louder than I ever had in my life.

Immediately Zephyr was in front of me, punching at Ragnarok and shaking Crona violently. With the darkest blush on my face, I pulled my shorts back up, amidst the whining apologies from Crona and the angry threats from Zephyr. "T-that's enough Zephyr," I managed, my blush not leaving. He backed away a step, eyes stabbing at the two of them. I glanced around at Crona, who was shaking fearfully. Poor kid, it wasn't his fault.

"S-sorry about that Crona… Zeph is just p-protective." I laughed nervously. Boy did things feel awkward now… I let my hair fall in my face, stepping towards the door. "G-guess we'll be on our way then… It was nice meeting you Crona!"

Before I got out the door, I heard Crona's voice say, "Wait…" I turned, a nervous look spread on my face. Zephyr was already out the door, his hand on my arm. Whether he had to yank me away from here or wait, it was his decision now.

"I-I never got your name," Crona slowly said, his gaze once again retreating to the floor. A weak grin greeted my face. "Right… I'm Reika, and my partner is Zephyr." As if on cue, Zephyr yanked at my arm. He wanted to go. Now.

"Okay, I'm coming! Bye Crona, I hope we can become good friends!" And with that, Zephyr dragged with from the room, leaving Crona with a confused look on his gloomy face.

As Zephyr and I walked back home (we'd missed school, there was no point going in late since Stein made the tardy stand outside the class), he looked down at me a few times, stared for a long enough time, then averted his gaze. Something was on his mind.

"Something wrong, Zephyr," I asked, looking at him from the corners of my eyes. Our eyes locked for a second before he looked away.

"… I just wish that monster hadn't done that to you…" Of course. The paranoid big brother figure that was my partner. I sighed. "You and me both… That was not fun…" My hands retreated to my pockets. We walked in almost silence after that, aside from the daily hustle and bustle that went on while school was in session. Every so often I would feel his gaze on me, but it would disappear seconds after I felt it. My house came into sight.

Before we entered the place, I swore I heard Zephyr mutter, "… I'm sorry Reika."

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><p>Done this chapter! I just wanted to find a way to make this a bit comedic. See you all next chapter, bye!<p> 


	5. The Day Together

And here we are at chapter five. In my wake of deciding not to rush things, this chapter will be Zephyr and Reika exclusive. So HA!

I do not own Soul Eater in mange or anime form, but Reika and Zephyr belong to me.

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><p>The next morning I woke up around ten in the morning. At first I felt a mild panic for missing school for the second day in a row, but then it dawned on me that it was Saturday. No school for two days. That worked for me.<p>

Saturday meant Zephyr probably wouldn't be up for a while, so I had time for a shower. Instead of picking out my usual outfit, I picked out a plain black skirt and a long sleeved, black and white striped top. After grabbing my unmentionables and placing everything neatly on my bed, I scurried off to the bathroom, taking a towel from the hall closet as I walked.

Once in the bathroom, I set the towel on the ledge of the sink, turned the hot water on, and stripped my pajamas from my form. The water relaxed my aching muscles. I lathered my hair with shampoo, ran through it with conditioner, and used my favorite coconut shower lotion before rinsing off completely. It was a nice shower, a great way to start off Saturday.

I squeezed the excess water from my hair, dried my body, then wrapped the towel around myself so I could venture back to my room. However, upon opening the bathroom door, I nearly ran face-first into a shirtless Zephyr. By the way his hand was extended and in a fist, I could assume he was about to knock to see when I'd be done. What an awkward scene- Me, naked aside from a towel barely covering me, staring shocked at my partner, who was shirtless and just as lost for words as I was. Seconds ticked by, but they felt like years in themselves.

Finally, I managed to pull myself together a bit. "Um… Morning Zephyr… Bathroom's all yours…" He merely nodded, stepping back for me to go by. I practically ran to my room, locking the door behind me. After a few seconds of just focusing on my breathing, I dressed. Because of how hurriedly I did that task, I had to take a couple of minutes to smooth my clothes down. I brushed my hair and decided to let it air-dry today.

Finally exiting my room, I saw Zephyr exiting his as well, this time wearing a shirt. Acting like nothing awkward had just happened, he waved, and I waved back. We discussed small things before trying to figure out what the plan for today was. Nothing came to mind on my end, so Zephyr suggested we just hang around outside until something came to mind.

Out the door we went. Zephyr and I made our way to a nearby park. Children, mostly young, flooded the place and the small playground in the area. Laughs, screams of joy, and calls were heard all over the place. It made me happy, but at the same time it made me a little sad. I almost wished I was their age again. They were all so innocent and pure. Nothing about the evils of the world so much as left a smear in their hearts or minds.

We found a bench to sit at, and for the longest time I just watched the kids play. Every so often a child would look my way and wave before running off to their friends. They were so sweet. Parents always warned their kids never to talk to strangers, but they loved saying "hi" anyway. It was cute, made my heart melt.

I heard older voices approaching the area, and when I looked, my heart sank. A few boys my age were heading our way. I was their favorite person to harass, since I was usually too much of a wimp to fight back or say anything. I could tell they were coming for me. The thought made me look away from them, focusing on an apple tree, my body cringing.

Zephyr noticed this, gave me a curious look. "Something the matter Reika," he asked in a low tone. I groaned darkly. Why did he have to notice everything when I wished he didn't?

"It's nothing Zeph…" Such a lie wouldn't be believed for long though. Wes, the group's "leader," made a catcall to me, his friends all wolf-whistling. I ducked my head down. Maybe the sight of Zephyr next to me would drive them away…

It didn't. Wes approached me, dropping his hand on my shoulder. Hard. I flinched, and I could almost feel his eerie smile. "Reika. Long time no see. I almost started to think that you'd left town completely." His friends got a bit closer; Just close enough that I wouldn't be able to make an escape. Zephyr didn't really help my case. He reached his hand around my shoulders, pushing Wes' hand away. "State your business," he demanded darkly, his eyes locked on Wes.

He crossed his arms, matching Zephyr's gaze. "I don't know who you think you are, but apparently you know her. This girl's been avoiding me it seems. I'm just paying her her dues." His tone held venom in it. I really didn't know why Wes chose me as his target. I'd never done anything to him to make him want to. Was he just a warped soul? I guess.

Wes snapped his fingers, and his friends left their barrier around me, holding Zephyr in place. Tough as he was, he couldn't shake them away from him, leaving Wes with me. The children had all disappeared; Maybe they'd sensed the danger and had left in fear. At least they wouldn't have to witness anything. Kids didn't deserve to see the horrors of the world.

Wes put his hand on my shoulder again, this time using his other hand to force me to look at him. My eyes shook nervously. Was all that time with Zephyr really going to go to waste? "You know, you've gotten pretty good looking Reika." His gaze went from smug to vindictive. "Now how about we get to business…"

He lifted his hand from my shoulder, shaping a fist. I wondered where he'd hit me first, the head, face, stomach, arms… I didn't know.

Zephyr struggled more, yelling and cursing for Wes to back off before "he wished he's never met me." A fist crashed against my jaw, then at the back of my skull. His friends laughed, tears stung my eyes. And Zephyr? He was yelling. This time at me.

"What the hell Reika? Don't just sit there and take this crap!" Wes laughed, sending a fist hard into Zephyr's stomach, knocking the air right out of him. "You don't get it. She won't. She's too much of a coward."

Those words rung in my ears. _'Too much of a coward… Too much of a coward…'_

Suddenly I was on my feet, Wes no longer in front of me. My eyes were locked on him, and just like the time with Zephyr's tauntings, there was fire in them. I grabbed Wes' shoulder, turning for him to face me, before doing a roundhouse kick to his face. He stumbled back a few steps, rubbing his sore spot before glaring at me.

"I'm not that cowardly kid you liked to beat up anymore Wes," I spat, pointing at him. "I've changed… Whether you like it or not, I'm not your punching bag."

He didn't seem to like that, slowly starting towards me like a jungle cat to its prey. I looked at Zephyr momentarily, then back to Wes. "Zeph… You take care of them. I've got this one on my own…"

And then I sprang at Wes. A flurry of kicks and flips decorated my fighting, utilizing flexibility with my attacks. Wes played by strength, aiming for my weak points so he could ultimately pin me down and do his damage. I didn't know what was going on at Zephyr's end, but it sounded like he had things under control now. Had he only been acting like he couldn't get away? Jerk…

A few bruises later, I had Wes sprawled on the ground, kicking him once more before jumping away from him. I brushed my clothes off then sighed. "I didn't want to do that Wes… You gave me no choice though." Zephyr walked next to me, eyes on the boy on the ground that had attacked me. I shook my head, telling him not to bother. We went on our way then, not looking back once.

When they were out of hearing distance, Zephyr walked ahead of me, looking back to assess my injuries. He prodded at them softly, watching me flinch and whimper lightly. Finally he asked, "Are you alright?"

I nodded, and we entered a café to pick up some sandwiches for dinner. I didn't know it'd gotten so late so soon. Talk about a long day.

While we waited for our food, he asked what that was all about. I shrugged. "I knew Wes for a few years. He tried to ask me out and I rejected him. That's why he's so hostile and violent towards me." I paused, thinking about that before laughing to myself. "Guess he never learned that I became a meister. He just lives in the city. He didn't bother with the DWMA."

We ate shortly after that and decided to just go home. Instead of walking I jumped on Zephyr's back. He didn't complain, just carried me all the way home. Once there, I suggested we watch a movie. Horror, of course. I preferred them over the other genres. Except maybe comedy.

When Zephyr let me jump off his back, before I allowed him to go pick out a movie, I surprised him by hugging him, thanking him for spending the day with me, despite the bruises decorating my face. He hesitated, but gave me a light hug back. He was gone after that, returned shortly with a movie, and we just sat in the living room and watched. Before the movie ended, I fell asleep, and Zephyr was the pillow I fell asleep on.

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><p>Chapter five done! Haha, just a break before getting back to the original show people. Until then, bye!<p> 


	6. School

Chapter six! Haha, having a bit of fun in this. Hope you all are enjoying. Don't be shy, anything you want to see, I'd be more than happy to try and fit it in here. PS: Sorry that I've been neglecting my stories. School tends to take a lot out of me.

Reika and Zephyr belong to me, but Soul Eater doesn't. XD

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><p>A week passed by, and it was now Monday. Zephyr and I arrived early at school early, a Monday tradition of ours. We hurried inside, giving a few passing glances to the others. A few people had heard of my little fight with Wes, and those few people began whispering about me. It made me uncomfortable. Zephyr tried to convince me that it was just because I was naturally shy, but I guess the idea that people might've been seeing me in a strange, new way was unsettling.<p>

In the class we went, straight to our seats. We were a half hour early. With a semi-tired yawn, I set my chin on the desk, my silver eyes staring forward, though, I pretty much saw nothing. I was in my thoughts. Maka had been with Crona this past weekend, taking him around the school. My unofficial sources spoke that he was going to join the academy, and Maka had been preparing this weekend for his arrival. Another friend in class… Joy.

As the encounter with Crona played itself in my mind, a small blush appeared on my face. Stupid Ragnarok… He had to make that so awkward. I just wanted to make a new friend was all. Even when I had confidence something had to ruin it…

I'm not sure how long I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, but my eyes eventually registered a figure standing in front of me, waving their hand in front of my face. Another second later, I realized that figure was Maka, a curious look on her face. I quickly sat up, a faint smile on my own lips.

"Oh, hey Maka," I greeted the girl, my old nervousness trying to ebb into my mood. She'd caught me blushing at nothing. How dumb I must've looked.

"Good morning Reika." She sounded cheerful, something I noticed and felt relieved at. "I have someone I want you to meet." She turned around expectantly, and when she saw no one was there, her face flashed blank, then something I couldn't honestly read at the moment.

She gestured that she'd be a moment and disappeared out of the room. With a sigh, I set my head back on the desk. I could almost feel Zephyr looking at me, one eye closed and the eyebrow of his open eye raised curiously. However when I glanced, he wasn't looking at me. Rather, both of his eyes were closed, in a sort of meditation or thought process of his.

A yelp from the door caught my attention, and my head snapped to focus. It only took a moment for me to realize I was staring down yet another familiar face, and I found myself smiling again. "Hi Crona. Guess you'll be joining the class today?"

Both of their reactions amused me. Maka's eyes widened in pure shock and awe, since just about no one knew that I'd already snuck around to meet him myself. Crona had his head hung when he'd entered the room, but upon hearing my voice (and in a positive tone at that), he looked at me and waved, a shy smile on his face. The memory of a recent incident once again touched my mind, and a blush dusted over my cheeks. Crona seemed to get the same effect, and we both looked away from each other.

A tense air next to me told me that Zephyr was wary of Crona's presence again, mainly because of Ragnarok. Gently, I moved my hand and grabbed two fingers of his hand, lightly holding them to assure him it was all fine. The tense air didn't disperse, but it helped me a bit.

"Yes, I know him Maka," I answered before she could ask, the lightest hint of a humor on my face. "You forget that a lot of quiet kids pick up on a lot of information."

She giggled lightly at that, and went to her seat, Crona taking the seat next to her. Conveniently, that was also next to me, on the side that Zephyr wasn't. A friend that sat closer to me. All the more fun.

People began entering the room, with ten minutes before school started. I rolled my head to the side so I could look at Crona, and he seemed to be shrinking where he sat, figuratively of course. With my free hand, I reached for Crona's, only taking his little finger in my hand. He nervously glanced at me, his entire figure shaking. I only mouthed the words 'It'll be fine' to him, nodding affirmatively. He nodded to, his blush returning. This time it confused me, but I refused to be nosy. I was just being friendly, after all. Heck, Xephyr didn't blush when I grabbed his hand or anything.

Class finally started, and it was just a big lecture instead of some lesson, or even a dissection, which Professor Stein seemed to fancy. About halfway through the lecture, Zehyr shifted his hand position so my hand was in his. The lightest smile danced on my features. To say I was in a good mood was an understatement. I was happy. Very much so.

When class ended, I bid my farewell to Maka, Black Star, and Kid, and even gave a hearty wave to Crona, who meekly waved back. As soon as I left the classroom, however, I was stopped by Stein, who stared down at me in that creepy way he seemed to look at people.

"C-can I help you, Professor," I asked, losing my nerves. Zephyr moved closer to me, letting me know he was there to protect me.

"You have a mission tomorrow Reika," Stein half-mumbled, spinning that knob-thing that protruded from his head like he always did. I locked my pinkies together, waiting for him to go on. Details were needed… Heck, we were probably only being forced on this mission because Zephyr and I had been slacking off on making him a Death Scythe.

"You're going to the city of Berlin at night. Seems some lunatic has been tampering with humans. Experimenting on them then devouring their souls when they're failures."

Seemed basic enough, if not a bit unnerving. If I failed, not only would some creepy German be toying with my body for whatever goal he was trying to reach, but my soul would most likely end up eaten. Zephyr's too. I couldn't fail this one. The thought of what could happen made me feel nauseous.

"I-I won't let you down Professor Stein," I stuttered, bowing formally before I began retreating. Before I even managed a step, however, he added, "Oh, and you'll be going along with Crona on this one."

I froze, not from fear or displeasure… But from what, I didn't know. Weakly, I nodded and hurried off towards home, since I still had chores to do before I did anything else today.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Reika?... We don't know much about him," Zephyr thoughtfully inquired, his opinion obvious. It was probably Ragnarok that made him so negative towards Crona… But I didn't know that one for sure. Zephyr was Zephyr, and even though I could read his emotions, reading his absolute thoughts was still a challenge.

"What choice do we have," was my only response, though, a good part of me was excited to be going on a mission with my new friend. Another part felt a little off-balance, but I dealt with that by slightly leaning against Zephyr's arm.

My silver eyes flashed an orange yellow, due to the sunlight. My first mission alone with Crona. While Zephyr was skeptical, I was excited, for reasons unknown to me at the time.

If only I knew what was beginning to form in my teenage soul…

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><p>Again, sorry on the major delay and pretty much uneventful chapter. School's killing me. I'll do better next chapter. Thank you for reading!<p> 


	7. Evil Dr Fleischer PT 1

I'M BACK EVERYONE! I just got a new laptop, and, in this excitement, I shall continue with my story! XD

Soul Eater and all of its characters do not belong to me. However, Reika and Zephyr do. ONWARDS!

The next morning went by in a blur, so I only vaguely remembered it. Zephyr woke me up fairly early so we could get dressed and eat before heading out. He made pancakes, and we waited in my house until we saw Crona walking down the street in his usual demeanor. And then we went to meet up with Zephyr's friend, who would be taking us to Berlin in some sort of airplane-car hybrid. Crona seemed to become more relaxed when he saw me… Well, that could've just been me.

We walked to the edge of Death City, the sun just beginning to peak over the mountains. The air was crisp, but not freezing. Soon enough, we found Zephyr's friend—A man who appeared to be in his younger adult years. He and Zephyr gave a nod of recognition, and with that done, we climbed into the vehicle and took off.

The next hour was a huge blank to me, because I fell asleep as soon as we took off. When I awoke though, I saw Zephyr sitting in the front passenger seat, talking pleasantly to his friend. Which meant…

After lifting my head off of the window of the vehicle, I looked at Crona, who was, of course, sitting next to me. Something seemed wrong… Or, in better terms, just like Crona. The boy was staring at the floor, an unwelcome look on his ever-down features. Deciding that Zephyr didn't need to get in on any sort of Crona-torment, I chose to talk to the boy quietly by whispering gently, "Is something the matter, Crona?"

He quickly turned to look at me, obviously startled. However, he seemed to calm down just as fast. Record-breaking time for Crona terms. He seemed to get the gist by my tone. "I-I didn't know you were awake Reika…" He smiled nervously, and I offered a light, sleepy smile back. I wasn't going to let him get out of it though.

"I just woke up, actually… So, what was up?" His eyes immediately darkened. He looked away from me, and I couldn't help but feel even more curious… And just a bit hurt.

"Well… I-I kind of feel like I'm going to get in the way of this mission, and that Mr. Zephyr doesn't want me here, and, and I don't know how to deal with that…" Mumbling now to himself, Crona began playing with his hands. Something in me groaned, while another side giggled. Those that mumbled to themselves made me irritated, even if I didn't look like the type to get irked at anything. Either telling me what it was or telling me it was none of my business worked better.

Instead of intimidating the boy with any visible anger, however, I shook my head, softly cooing, "Don't feel that way. Zeph's just mad about what happened… He's like an overprotective brother. Zephyr and I could use all the help we could get. And you're strong enough to be that help. I'm glad." For emphasis, I did a double peace sign, making both of my index fingers line up, one in front of the other. Crona looked at me again, and smiled, though, those sad eyes really made him being happy unconvincing. "Thanks Reika… It seems like you and Maka are the only ones that believe in me."

We went on with small chatter for a little while, until Zephyr finally looked back and saw that my eyes were open. "Well, about time you woke up. We're going to arrive in Berlin in ten minutes. Where we're landing, the lab will only be a few blocks away. People won't be wandering the streets for another hour or so. We've got this." I gave a small nod, and Zephyr, eyes lingering on me for a moment, looked away, not saying anything more. I let my gaze fall out the window. _'This better go well… I'll be damned if I let anything happen to Zephyr, Crona, or myself…'_

Just as Zephyr had said, we landed, and hastily, we got out of the vehicle, each one of us stretching. Zeph's friend, apparently named Jasper, told us that when he felt the doctor's presence gone, then he'd come to get us so we wouldn't have to be spotted by locals. Everyone confirmed this, and Zephyr took his weapon form, the cool steel of the wrist circlet greeting my mostly bare arm. Crona stared at my weapon in awe. Had he never seen Zephyr in his weapon form?... Now that I thought of it, no, he didn't.

At the same time, some black mattered took form in Crona;s hand, forming a black sword. _'That must be Ragnarok's weapon form…'_ With a nod towards Crona, I said in, a confident voice, "He we go… I've got your back if you have mine." He nodded at once, reassuring me. I took a look at Zephyr, lifting him towards the sky. "He we go… Zephyr, I'll be the will that moves you if you'll be the weapon that guides me.

His comment was expected; "You're still saying that? Wow, some things just don't die with you… But, of course, Reika. We've got this." And with that said, we hurried off towards the lab, with me leading the way. My stride was fast—Heck, I was doing a heavy jog. Crona easily kept up with us, and we were there in about five minutes. I gave Crona a glance, and he nodded to me. Nodding back, I kicked the door open, and we entered.

Instantly, the strong stench of metals polluted my nose. I reeled back momentarily, then recomposed myself, my unarmed hand covering my nose. I wasn't sure if Crona was having the same problem as me, but Zephyr decided to make a little scene. "Reika, you should've expected the smell of blood if this guy uses humans like tools." Ignoring him, we pushed on, breaking through another door to get into the basement. I was shocked that Zephyr wasn't pointing out my unusual aggressiveness to the doors, but that wasn't important.

As soon as we were on the second set of steps, we came face-to-face with a horrific sight. There were beds, bloodied and wrecked, decorating every space available against the wall. In the middle of the large basement were many tables, some with bodies strapped to them, all covered with blood. Next to the one closest to us was the doctor, a blonde-haired man that reeked of evil. He was staring at us with dead, blue eyes. The man probably heard me kick down the door.

Brave face time. I pointed at the man with my unarmed hand, my silver eyes locked onto his. "Your time is up, Doctor. For your crimes of harming innocents and devouring human souls, it is my duty to take from you your own. Madman, your soul is mine." All of this was said in a quiet, carefully controlled voice, but my hand twitched once or twice. For a moment, I thought I had him scared.

A misconception on my part, because the good doctor only laughed at me. "They send children! Hah!" His accent was thick, but I guess he wanted us to understand what he said before we were gasping for our lives. He eyed Crona and myself thoroughly before a twisted grin crept onto his face. "You both would make excellent subjects… You'd like to help me, no?" He began stalking towards us, but when I took my fighting stance, he stopped, only to laugh. "Hard to get. Very well. You'll just suffer more for this."

With that said, he pulled out some scalpels, one going between each of his fingers. Something told me I'd want to dodge those. Without another word, I leapt into battle, jumping from our landing to the ground and swinging at the doctor. He dodged easily and swiped at my legs, in which I just jumped. Zeph was trying to say something to me, but I could barely hear him when my focus was on the fight.

A few destructive waves came crashing in our direction, followed by Crona suddenly moving in to attack. The doctor just jumped his attacks and went on fighting Crona. To his surprise (and mine), every time Crona got hit, he didn't bleed. Was that something to do with Ragnarok? The little demon had been trying to explain that to us before… Guess I wasn't paying attention to that tidbit.

I'd just ask the pest later. Jumping back a bit, I positioned myself to await the perfect chance to attack. Zephyr had quieted down, and he waited with me. The opportunity was coming closer, closer, closer-

I never got the chance to attack. At that moment, something clamped tightly around my ankles, pinning my feet in place. Before I could even comprehend what was going on, the doctor was in front of me. He grabbed my wrist that had Zephyr on it, and with ease, he removed my weapon, tossing it away. Zephyr reverted to his human form instantly, but before he could move a yard, hands came out of the dark corners of the room, holding him still. Out came this empty-eyed humans, mangled and maimed from head to toe. Some had horns, some had tails, but they were all lost. I realized these must have been the people the doctor had taken souls from.

Which meant I was being held in place by the same thing. By now, another two had arrived to restrain the use of my hands, and I was left defenseless. My eyes hurriedly scanned the room for Crona, only to find him knocked out on the ground. He himself was not restrained by these soulless oafs, but he wasn't with us at the moment. I began trembling, trying hard to yank myself free. It was no use. The grips of the soulless were like vices.

"Reika, for crying out loud, move!" Zephyr was yelling at me, and the panic in his voice was evident. But, it was no use. Even he couldn't get free, so I was stuck myself.

The doctor caressed my cheek with his cold, dead-feeling hand, a dark grin plastered on his lifeless face. I began whimpering, cringing at his touch. He must've found it amusing because he chuckled. Like a clown from a horror movie would. "There's no escape, young lady… And guess what? For yelling out like you did, you get the honor of going first…"

My life appeared to be over…

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><p>AND CUT! Haha! Evil cliffhanger! Well, this fun's just getting started. See you all next time! Thank you for reading!<p> 


	8. Evil Dr Fleischer PT 2

Alright, time to get back into the habit of this. Let's see if I can get back the right track with this. Sadly, the whole written-out version of the last chapter was lost, so I had to fill in many forgotten points, heheh…

Soul Eater does not belong to me (regretfully). Reika and Zephyr are my creations, however, so I'll live.

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><p>Okay, so the situation looked… Bad. Really bad. Quick recap; Crona, Zephyr, and I had successfully infiltrated the doctor's lab, we found him, I did what I could to appear brave and in control… And now we were here. Zephyr was being restrained (as was I, but, lucky me was the target of the guy's fun). And Crona was unconscious on the ground beyond us, apparently not a threat in this guy's mind. Well… This was fun.<p>

In fact, in retrospect, many of my moves up to this point were a little out of it. Not only did I bust down the doors, with absolutely no care in the world if anyone heard, but I made myself feel cocky and indestructible by blurting out some cheesy line. Wasn't that what Maka did? At least she could live up to it without this kind of stuff happening.

My mind was racing a million miles an hour as the lean man's face hovered directly in front of mine. Honestly, I couldn't tell if my face had turned red or white, but, judging by the chill I felt on the inside, I decided it was probably the latter. My heart beat was just as fast, and it felt as though it had lodged itself in my throat. Despite that, however, I managed to choke out my meek question of, "W-What are you going t-to d-do?" It was like talking to the teachers all over again…

His smile sent tremors down my spine. The man back up, but only by an inch or two. From somewhere to my right, Zephyr was still yelling, like a dog barking erratically at the sight of another, unfamiliar dog. Unfortunately, in the wake of this situation, any coherent thing that he was screaming mixed into some unfamiliar language, beyond anything I could hope to understand. All I knew was that I wanted to go home. Hell, I wanted to hide behind my parents!

Well, that wouldn't be the case for me. With a chuckle, the doctor began talking to me, his words the only clear thing to pass into my panicked brain. "Well, since you're going to be my newest subject, I might as well give you the laydown. Sound fair, dearie?" At that sarcastic pet name, I shuddered, which only seemed to feed his mood.

"My name is Dr. Fleisher," he continued in what I guess was amusement. "What I do here is simple; I test the capabilities of the human body. All these people have tried to help me. If something happens to succeed, I improve myself. And if something fails… Well, they aren't so lucky, are they?" As he talked, I tried to look away, knowing well that the fear in my eyes couldn't be hidden. However, my attempt was in vain—Dr. Fleisher simply took hold of my chin and snapped my head back into attention. My breath caught in my throat, and the growth in his smile told me that he noticed that.

"I've never gotten a meister before… So this is a special occasion." He backed up quite a bit this time, releasing my face. I quickly looked away again, trying to focus desperately on the wall to my left. However, the feeling of Dr. Fleisher's eyes measuring up who I was made me glance out of the corners of my eyes at him, only for them to scurry away the instant I saw him. He made no noise, and stood frozen, aside from the slow glide of his eyes.

After a solid minute of this unbearable treatment, he clapped his hands together. "Female, young teens, slender build, good health by the shine of the hair and the little amount of blemishes on the skin." For some reason, him saying that made my body shake more visibly (that calm, assured tone didn't help me feel any better about this). With a small whimper, I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing that I could get free and fight, or even run. Lord Death wouldn't be mad if I chickened out, right? This guy was too much for me!

Tears began forming at the edges of my eyes, and I swore, with all the swimming in my head, I thought I was going to faint. Someone's hand pressing against my cheek brought me back to reality. For a moment, I believed it was Zephyr, trying to comfort me. A big mistake, really, because a moment later, a piercing pain ripped into my neck. My silver eyes shot open, wider than they'd ever been. I didn't manage to suppress the blood-curling scream that erupted from my windpipe. Ferociously, I tried to free my arms from the hands that bound them, desperate to yank the source of my pain away. Try as I might, my arms stayed in place, and, due to my attempt, I accidentally caused the fingernails of my captors' hands to dig into my skin, through the flesh. I felt blood creeping out of them, and, arms trembling to stay put, I gave up.

The seconds dragged on like centuries within themselves, but eventually, whatever was digging into my neck released itself, leaving open wounds to bleed without a care. Twitching profusely from the pain of moving, I strained my head to turn and look at Dr. Fleisher. He was smiling in his "delightful" way, a fresh red liquid staining his mouth and teeth. With closer examination, I was able to notice that his canine teeth had been sharpened. Pure disgust enveloped me, and I began coughing. He didn't seem to notice this little bit. In fact, he seemed more focused on the metallic taste in his mouth.

"Hm… Blood type O positive… Oh, wait, that's negative, silly me." His eyes locked onto mine, and I felt a cold sweat dotting my forehead. Suddenly, I began sobbing, uncontrollably. The rest of the world drowned away to me, my tears making me. No more hopeless demands from Zephyr, no more remarks from Fleisher, it was just me-

Something slashed into my cheek, right by my mouth. Instantly, I became silent, but the tears continued. Through the watery substance, I was able to make out the doctor there, scalpel in hand. He looked menacing now, and not in any way he'd seemed it before. His eyes were stone cold, and his malevolent smile had vanished. In its place was a stern, unwelcoming scowl.

With his free hand, he smacked the side of my head. Hard. My teeth rattled in my mouth, and a few tears lodged themselves free from my face. This only resulted in me crying even harder, though, I was able to hear Zephyr again. However, my mouth didn't react to a scream. Somehow, it felt… Dead, unresponsive…

And just like that, he slashed into my arms and legs; One on each arm and leg, at the bicep, tricep, thigh, etc. Once that was over, the hands all released me, and I fell to the ground, my head smacking it unforgivingly. I could clearly hear Zephyr yell my name, yelling it over and over again, and yet, I couldn't respond.

The doctor leaned down, lifting me off of the ground by the front of my shirt. My eyes shook, and my fingers twitched, trying their hardest to do something. The rest of my body felt dead though. He decided to explain. "My scalpels are laced with a delicate nerve toxin. Not something that can kill, but something that freezes the muscles for an extended period of time." My feet were no longer on the ground, and I felt that breathing was harder with his knuckles pressing carelessly against my throat.

There was, however, a problem much worse than that. The combination of my excessive blood loss and my head hitting the ground made me drowsy. My eyesight was blurry, and my brain felt like it was stuck in mud. It was a miracle that I was still conscious. Maybe I just wanted to see this to the end… It was a shame that I couldn't apologize to the others.

In a sinister whisper, Dr. Fleisher hissed, "I think we'll toy around with your heart first… Well, shall we?" My body begged me to fight it free from its reluctant state, but my mind felt dull. Everything felt so far away…

We never made it to the table. In fact, the doctor didn't have a chance to turn around when something must have stabbed into him. Blood sprayed onto my face, and, for what seemed like the first time today, it wasn't my own blood. His hand suddenly released me, and I think I heard a couple of people yelling out at once; Unfortunately, once more, my head bashed into the floor, bouncing. In that instant, everything went blank, the world shattering and collapsing around me… Senses fading… Body heavy… Pain fading to pulses… Light… Floating…

…. I was sure that I had died…..

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><p>And we'll end there. Sorry if these few chapters haven't met your expectations. Thank you again for reading, you guys mean a lot to me! See you next chapter!<p> 


	9. Importance

Here's the next chapter! Hee hee, after the last one, I felt like I wouldn't have much else to work with. That one was fun, as cruel as it sounds.

Anywho, Reika and Zephyr are my own characters. Nothing in Soul Eater is mine. And I feel very obligated to do these disclaimers a little different each time.

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><p><em>… <strong>Where am I<strong>… **Why am I**… **Here**…_

_You know… I'm not sure why people think death is something to fear, some purely awful experience that should be avoided at all costs. Everybody dies eventually. It's not like death will make you some freak of nature._

_I guess people are just afraid of what happens after death, when they leave the world behind them for good. Who will remember them? Who will forget?... Who will care? It's a complicated thing, but I'm sure everyone thinks about it sooner or later. Admittdly, I've thought about it, and my list always came up a bit short… Though, there were meaningful people on there, so the length didn't matter all that much._

_So… Why was I talking about the taboo people considered death to be? Well, it was simple. I was dead. I'm not sure how long I had been floating here, or how long my mind had been going for, but none of it seemed to matter, since that was all I could really do. Personally, I don't understand why my parents told me death was bad. It wasn't too bad, really. You know, unless you hated thinking about things to yourself, death was, in a sense, nice._

_Previous pains suddenly vanished from your body. I couldn't feel where the doctor had slashed me, couldn't feel where he smacked me, or most likely would've forgotten that he'd taken a bite into my neck, if that haunting memory hadn't been etched into my mind. My body felt cool and pleasantly numb. It was relaxing, despite the fact that I could not move, nor open my eyes… Well, some things came with a sacrifice, right?_

_You no longer felt the uncertain would around you, or under you. Instead, you floated along. You were in a realm that nothing appeared to reach; A tranquil place, free from worry. It felt nice to not have to worry, to be able to just let the tides take me wherever they pleased. I felt at ease floating in this quiet place._

_Well… It was mostly quiet anyway. There were voices in my ears, whispering to me. There were two of them. One was sweetly whispering to give into this mysteriously beautiful nothingness, to surrender my soul to eternal sleep. The other voice, however, was incoherent. I could not understand it, and that greatly bothered my curious mind. Part of me wanted to pull myself to the incoherent voice, to understand what it was saying. Another part of me yearned to give in to that enchanting voice's request. Eternal sleep didn't seem like such a bad idea, especially if it'd take away all my troubles. There was a third part, however, that wanted nothing more than those voices to shut up and go away. I gave in to that part. I just wanted to think…_

_My thoughts brought me back to childhood memories, when I still lived in a complete family. Two parents, and a younger brother and sister. They were twins, while I was the odd one out. Being the oldest, my parents had a tendency to ignore me, but I understood why fairly well, especially since they still paid attention to me. I couldn't say the relationship between us kids was alright. The twins spent most of their time together, and did what they could to exclude older me, but I didn't mind. I got the nicest things that they were too young to have, and we were still nice to one another. Those were the days…_

_It turned sour when we began exploring our fighting capabilities. See, mom and dad were both meisters in their days. Mom's partner was a katana, while dad used two hook swords. Mom's partner had been a girl, and since dad had two female partners, he chose not to get involved with them. They got paired on a mission together, and when Dad decided to protect Mom from being killed, Mom fell for him, and they got married and had us kids. To this day, they still see their partners, and they still fight like in the old days when duty calls. Talk about dedication._

_So it was important to them when we reached the minimum age of ten (I was twelve by that time), we were tested for our capabilities. Up to that point, I was an extreme coward, and had only focused on gymnastics. My siblings, on the other hand, had natural talent. Kyle and Kylie would destroy me when we fought. At the end of these "tests," our parents decided that they'd enroll my siblings at the DWMA when they were old enough, but I wasn't allowed to go because I wasn't strong enough. Of course, I ended up begging with every fiber of my being for them to let me attended, and many times, they denied my request. There seemed to be no fighting hope for me…_

_So, along with my begging, I began training at a dojo. Over time, I became better, though, I still felt my skills were lacking. One day, on one of my begging sessions, Mom yelled that if I asked one more time, she'd enroll me, but I'd be alone from then on. So, of course, I asked, and that was that. My parents bought me a house, moved all my stuff there, and left me there. They paid for it, so they wouldn't have to hear that their kid was on the streets. We haven't talked much since. Apparently Kyle and Kylie want to follow the weapon styles our parents had… I was definitely the black sheep in the bunch._

_And that was the reason I lived all by myself. I became alone and gradually became shy. When I met Maka, I had a hard time talking to her, but when she told me she basically lived by herself because her mom was always away, I felt a little more at ease speaking with her. We were kind of the same… It made me more comfortable with the world._

_And now I was here, alone and dead… Guess my parents' predictions of what would happen if I became a meister had come true. Chalk one up for them. Still, it wasn't all in vain. I did complete a nice list of missions before kicking the bucket. I also learned a lot about myself, and the world, from my experiences outside of the world. Like my importance to people, the sadness many felt, and the importance us mesiters played in the protection of innocence. It wasn't all bad. I have Maka and Tsubaki to thank for that, as well as Zephyr…_

_Zephyr… The mere thought of his name made some weird tremor go through my body. I felt a faraway sadness. Not only were those things happening, but the voices rose, as if battling each other. The angelic whispering seemed more and more sinister with the mention of Zephyr's name, while I could just barely hear the mumbled voices, and pick out a few words, some of which were my name. Again, I wished for them to stop, but they wouldn't fade out this time._

_I focused on Zephyr. He made me learn quite a lot in the somewhat short time we had together. He taught me that I was more than just a little coward—I was strong, brave, had the potential to be the best. He never gave up on me, only wanted me to succeed. He was a great teacher, and an even better friend…_

_There was also the boy I barely had time to be around, but always looked forward to seeing; Crona. Once again, the voices rose, and my imagination pretended they were both tugging on one arm, trying to sway me into listening to them over the other. Crona reminded me of myself, and I always wanted to make him feel better. He was just such an interesting person. So sad and fragile, and yet, so innocent and broken… I longed to see the day that he would smile and show true happiness to the world. Unfortunately, in this state, I would never get to experience seeing his joy…_

_Somehow, that stirred something bitter in me. I wanted to see that day, but more importantly, these voices were driving me insane. In an instant, the voices changed. The previously sweet one sounded greedy, demonic, and uncaring. The mumbled voices seemed to offer more hope and peace in it, while I was still extremely curious to hear exactly what it was saying. I tried moving my arms, and felt a light pulse go through them. With much struggling, they began moving, and I pressed onward to the mumbling. It progressively got louder, while the other voice begged me to reconsider, even tried to pull me back. I fought, fought with everything that was left of me, and the more I fought, the more the pain jolted through me. The more the pain hurt, the more I wanted to reach my goal._

_I swam through the murky nothingness, willing myself to not give up. This was where everything I had learned from my two favorite people came to play. I wasn't allowed to lose my confidence, and I wasn't allowed to surrender. Otherwise, my soul would vanish forever. The fire that Zephyr had dug out of my heart would flicker away…_

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><p>That seemed to be the final thing needed, for in that instant, pained rocketed through my body, and the quiet blackness, seemed to shatter loudly into the noise of a machine beeping. Underneath my back was something soft, while something covered my lower body and stomach. There was something in my arm, and some things were sticking to various parts of me. From somewhere nearby, someone was talking, while someone else sobbed lightly. My body felt incredibly heavy, and my head felt light, aside from my eyes.<p>

I wanted to sleep… Wanted to rest and get away from the pain. But I was curious… This wasn't where I had fallen. This didn't feel anything like the horrors I had seen. It didn't add up.

Instead of sleeping, I forced my eyes to open with a groan, even if it took a few seconds to get the task done. The person crying gasped, and the talking person screamed, "She's awake! She's awake!" before footsteps took off. I, however, was blinded by the sudden light. My surroundings were unclear, and my head spun. As moments passed, and the previous crier had seemed to suddenly not breathe, my surroundings came into focus. I was staring at a light above me, and just in my peripheral vision, I was a heart monitor and a bag containing blood with a tube…

… Would you believe that the first thing I asked, with much struggling and deep breaths, was, "Where… Am I…"

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><p>End of Chapter nine! I just want to take this time out to say Happy Holidays to everyone, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay safe over the holidays, and I'll see you in chapter ten!<p> 


	10. Awake

Chapter ten! Haha! So, if you expected Reika to die… Sorry! I have other plans for her.

Soul Eater not mine, Reika and Zephyr are, yada yada…

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><p>Seconds ticked onwards, and my question went unanswered. Everything felt slow, like the world had just stopped because I had "woken up," as some person had gushed. I still had no idea where I was, how I got here, and what was going on… It all made me dizzy.<p>

I was staring upwards I guess, because aside from looking directly at some annoying light, I saw panels of what I guessed was a ceiling. Just inside my sight, at the very corner of my left eye, I saw a monitor, heard it's incessant beeping. It matched up with my heart beat… A heart monitor? Probably. In the right corner of my eye, there was a bag hanging on something, with a thin tube running down it. Inside the bag was a brilliantly red liquid… Blood? Well, that was my guess. Finally, there was this stench in the room… It was very unlike the horrid odor I had to endure during the mission. This one smelled of disinfectants; The stench of something overly clean. My final guess? I was in a hospital. Take that stupid questioning on my part.

My curiosity piqued my interest all the more. I wanted to know exactly where I was, and what my surroundings were. Unfortunately for me, that would have to wait for another time. When I attempted to life my head from the soft entity below it (a pillow, duh), a blinding pain jolted through my skull, snapping at my neck as well for attempting to bend it. With what I would say was a gasp and whimper combined, I let my head plop back into the pillow. It appeared even slight movement hurt me… How very unfortunate. This was not going to work well for me. I needed a pair of eyes and a set of lips willing to talk.

I could only guess that my wish had been granted, because I heard a shuffling nearby, followed by a stifled gasp. I'd almost forgotten that I'd heard someone get quiet from sobbing. It seemed unusually familiar, but I didn't dare move to check my suspicions. Instead, I decided to call to the entity, "Whoever's there… Come closer… Please…"

My voice was quieter than usual, and hoarse at that. It felt as though my body had been drained of all but enough energy to keep me living. Even this light, borderline incoherent voice put a strain on me. I focused on my breathing, ragged as it was. At least that was keeping me awake for the moment.

After a few long moments and some delayed footsteps, someone came into my view. They were only faintly familiar… Probably a problem that rose from how muggy my head felt. The person stared in horrific awe at my face, a gaze I could only match with a blank, tired look. I wasn't sure how long we stared at each other like that. I also wasn't sure what he happened to be thinking. All I wanted to know was who this person was, and where in the world I happened to be.

His lips began trembling noticeably. It was difficult to distinguish whether he was trying to speak, or whether he was about to burst into tears. Neither one immediately happened, and I was left only to look at the display of emotions on his face. He almost seemed too pained to speak, but after a few minutes, he finally managed to utter, "R-R-Reika…?"

He said it so softly, as if it were as fragile as my current state. The name of this person struck my mind instantly, and it hurt a little; Crona.

Trying to avoid as much speaking as possible, I gave him a weak smile. Honestly, I felt quite relieved. No endless questioning, like it would have been with Zephyr. But… That didn't mean that I was at a loss for questions.

Taking deep breaths, I began the excruciating task of trying to push myself into a sitting position. For a moment or two, Crona watched me, before he finally shook his head. "Reika, you need to relax… T-the nurse said your injuries were really b-bad…" Something about his tone said that this was an uneasy topic to him. It was a shame that I was going to be probing for answers.

Instead of lying down, I gave him a look, one that told him to help me sit up. He obviously hesitated, conflicted with listening to me or obeying the nurse. Unfortunately, luck was not on my side. Crona reached towards me, but instead of helping me up, he lightly pushed me back down with a shaky hand. I groaned defeatedly, closing my eyes. It couldn't be helped, I guess. Clearly he was the stronger of us right now.

Silence overtook the next five minutes, in which I allowed my body a chance to regain a tiny bit of energy. I was determined to get my questioning done, but even I knew rushing it could impose a problem. Crona merely watched me. He was probably expecting the questions to come, but, not knowing where to start, waited for me.

Finally, I opened my eyes, looking directly into Crona's. I had decided to make my first question simple; "Where… Where are we?"

He didn't hesitate to answering this question, but something about the tone of his voice made it feel a little… Off. As if he hadn't expected it. "We're at the DWMA infirmary… You needed medical treatment… Y-You almost died Reika…" His voice was meek, but I barely noticed it. I was mulling over his final sentence. Almost died… I guess wherever my mind had been was actually just the cusp of death, not true death. More obvious now that I was awake.

Still, my mouth ended up asking, "Almost died?" Crona nodded lightly, his eyes breaking contact with mine for just a moment. "Zephyr and I got you here while you were just barely breathing… Y-You're heart actually stopped beating once or twice… The doctor managed to bring you back and keep you alive…"

I guess that made enough sense. I accepted it with the lightest nod possible. It sent a jolt through my neck, but it was less painful than the one from earlier. I stared at him for a second, letting my mind catch up once again. The edges of my mouth began to twitch uneasily. I knew the next question I wanted to ask, but I was struggling to get the words out. Mouth unwilling to open, I attempted to relax. Crona seemed to be watching my movements carefully, trying to guess what I was attempting to do. I guess he could tell that I wanted to speak out again, because he asked in his usual, timid voice, "I-Is there something on your mind, Miss Reika?"

Part of me didn't want to say anything. It was disturbing, unnerving… It was pure scary. Another part of me needed to know it. Natural curiosity added to the fact that there was a huge hole in my knowledge of events lulled me…

Suddenly, my throat found the words. In a dry, almost nervous tone, I desperately asked Crona, "What happened back there Crona? I… I shouldn't be alive right now… What the heck happened?"

Bad choice on my part. My emotions had gotten the better of me in that moment, and the demanding tone made me a bit anxious, sending a wrenching pain into my stomach and throat. Not only that, but I had been unintentionally pushing myself up, and my arms were straining to keep my body up. With a groan and a whimper, I allowed my arms to give out, falling against the soft hospital bed again. My body seemed thankful to get to relax once more.

My eyes searched for Crona, and when they finally found him again, I felt ashamed of my questioning. His eyes were horrified, dark, almost empty. I must have missed something big while I was out. Though, I couldn't help but think that I would not be given my answer. Crona seemed traumatized by just my question alone. I gulped nervously, contemplating an apology. Poor kid didn't deserve this…

Something twisted inside of Crona, because, after lowering his head, he began speaking, quiet and void of emotion. "I remember getting knocked unconscious some time while you were fighting the doctor… Ragnarok got me up some time after that by pulling at my face… I heard Zephyr yelling your name, so I looked around… I won't forget what I saw…"

He began crying at this point, gripping tightly to the sheets on the side of my bed. "Y-You were a bloody mess Reika… There was b-blood coming from every part of your body… I couldn't tell i-if you were alive or…" Try as he might, he couldn't say that word, so he just continued. "The look in your eyes was dead… I-I lost it… Ragnarok got into his weapon form a-and I attacked from behind… Went right through his stomach… H-He let you go and you fell to the floor… I was sure you were… You know… By then…" His entire body was shaking, and his voice kept cracking. "T-These h-human things a-attacked me afterwards… I had to k-kill a b-bunch of them… Zephyr got free at some point… H-He went to the doctor… Strangled him… W-When he died, t-the others f-followed…" He paused for a straight minute, allowing himself a chance to breathe and cry freely. I just continued to watch him, trying to imagine the horrors he saw… The pain he must have felt. I tried to understand him. His emotions told a lot… With a sharp breath, he continued. "Zephyr was at your side before I was… He seemed to be completely stunned… I was the one who n-noticed you breathing still… It was hard to notice… But still… We called Lord Death, and he w-was able to send for help in n-no t-time…"

Finally, Crona collapsed, sobbing madly. He threw his hands over his face like a little girl would in the case of being lost. I let the entire story sink in, and more than once a chill slivered down my spine. If not for Crona… If not for Zephyr… Where in the world would I be…

Crona continuously apologized through his wails. It confused me greatly. Was he sorry that he saved me?... Okay, that was a dumb question. I knew why he was apologizing. He was blaming himself… Shaking awake more fuzz in my head, I let my arm weakly reach out, touch his shoulder. He barely had a chance to glance in my direction when I managed to tug him down to me, embracing him in a light hug. Okay, I'll admit, the initial thump of his body hitting mine hurt. A lot. But, aside from the pained grunt, I didn't care. He immediately tensed up, and his tears ended up soaking my shoulder.

"Relax Crona…" My voice was weaker than ever… I struggled to go on. "D… Don't apologize… You saved me… I'm… I'm grateful…"

With that said, I did something no one would ever expect from me. I lightly turned my head to look at him, and planted a light kiss on his cheek. Immediately, his face turned a dark shade of red, and he backed away, staring at me with wide eyes. My lips formed what I guess was another weak smile. My body hurt too much at this point. I'd been straining myself without paying attention to it. The pink stain by the foot of my bed indicated that I had opened one of my leg wounds . That was enough for now.

I'm not sure how long we stayed like that, but the nurse returned, Zephyr following. Immediately, he gave me a hug, struggling to contain his emotions. "Y-You're alive…" He sounded grateful. Genuinely. In fact, he looked at Crona, probably with a face that told him never to mention any of this outside of this room. He quickly returned his attention back to me as the nurse began tending to my leg, warning me to relax.

"I'm glad you're alive Reika… We all missed you…"

I couldn't help but strain myself to smile a little more. I was just happy…

It was good to be alive.

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><p>Well, that's the end of chapter ten! Sorry for the long wait everyone! Thank you for reading!<p> 


	11. A Beautiful Party

Welcome to Chapter Eleven everyone! This is going to be more of a simple chapter before I get back into the plot I had planned. We're getting closer and closer to the end of this story. Thank you everyone for reading so far!

Crona and Soul Eater do not belong to me. Reika and Zephyr are mine.

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><p>Two weeks passed since I woke up in the infirmary. Looking back, they were fairly quick, but during them, the days dragged on. Especially for the first week. I spent it entirely in the infirmary, because the doctor did not want me to go out just yet. In retrospect, it wasn't entirely bad; Crona and Zephyr visited me every day, and I even got three visits from Maka, Kid, Black Star, and their partners. They always found a way to cheer me up, from Crona's shy talking to Black Star's unnaturally loud boasting. It definitely added excitement to this dull place.<p>

I also got a visit from Lord Death and Professor Stein. I was expecting a heavy lecture from the both of them for the danger I had placed the others in. Instead, Lord Death apologized for assigning me to such a dangerous mission without better knowledge of it. And Professor Stein… Well, he seemed to be a bit quiet. Moreso than I've ever seen him. At least he excused me from lessons until I was feeling better. The guy had a heart.

Other than that, things were rather boring in the hospital. The routine check-ups, the constant questions, the loneliness while school was in session… It depressed me, but I tried to keep my head up. I wasn't going to be bound to this bed forever. I made sure to tell myself that every day.

I guess staying there without a fuss was worth it. Every day, I felt a portion of my strength returning, all because I was actually relaxing. Okay, so I felt like a helpless little kid most of the time, but at least I wasn't reopening my wounds. Again. The nurse seemed proud. Even Zephyr seemed proud of me.

Finally, after a solid week of doing absolutely nothing, Zephyr came in and told me that they were letting me go. I could not describe how joyous that news was to my ears. The nurse allowed me to carefully change into some clothes that Zephyr had brought for me, while I ensured that every bandage stayed on its designated wound. Once I was dressed and ready to go, I thanked the nurse and the doctor, and leaned against Zephyr as we exited the building and began walking towards home.

The weather was warm and pleasant, with just a light breeze sweeping through the city. Birds were singing overhead as they flew by us. As we passed by endless buildings, people walking by greeted us cheerfully. They also asked if I was feeling alright. I guess word of my condition had gotten out. Most likely because of Black Star yelling about it. I sighed lightly to myself, but I smiled. Nothing had changed too much… I couldn't help but like it.

All of the young meisters we passed seemed excited for something. Eventually, I asked Zephyr what it was about. I could almost feel the smirk as he spoke. "Kid wants to throw another party… I think it'd be good for you to go."

My heart sank a bit. A party? And I should go? As if. I had bandages all over myself. I looked like a giant rag doll. Plus, the last party I attended didn't end so well… And Zephyr didn't go with me. There were so many reasons that this could end badly.

I was about to voice my argument to the idea when we entered our house, and immediately, my voice froze. Sprawled across the living room couch was a lovely, strapless purple dress. And next to it was an all-black suit, fresh as if it had just been taken out of plastic. My eyes scanned both of these garments slowly, taking in the luxurious feel that they both gave off. When I had scanned over them at least three times, I turned to look at Zephyr, a semi-stern look on my face. He seemed to know what was coming next.

"Really? You bought me a dress to make sure I can't say no?... Zephyr, you're too sneaky sometimes…"

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><p>Even at the party, I couldn't help but think that as I stood there with Zephyr at Kid's party. Okay, I'll admit; We didn't look half bad. I stood, a little slouched over, in the purple dress Zephyr had bought me. It swept the ground, covering the injuries on my legs very well. However, being a sleeveless dress, the bandages on my arms showed very well, as did the one patching up my cheek. I didn't look too bad otherwise. My black and red-tipped locks were tied back in two low pigtails. Even Zeph looked classy in his suit—Fancier than a butler, if you asked me. His hair was even brushed and neat. I had admired his appearance once or twice tonight, but I was still irked that he'd dragged me here. I had been blushing lightly since our arrival, keeping to myself with a small frown on my face. Not like Zephyr cared. I bet he was enjoying this…<p>

Someone tugging at my shoulder made me turn to look at them. My eyes quickly met with the shy gaze of Crona's. I froze at how handsome he looked in his white suit (I mean more of an adorable, childish handsome). My frown instantly morphed into a smile. "Hi Crona, glad to see you here!"

Zephyr turned to look at the pink-haired boy. I imagined he would've given Crona a stern, angry look, but instead, he smiled lightly, even giving a small greeting himself. Crona gave each of us a slight wave, then he looked at me again, doubtful, yet with the slightest confidence.

"H-Hi Reika… Are you feeling any better?"

Quickly, I nodded, giggling lightly. "Yeah, I guess I still look pretty bad, huh?" I strained to keep my smile as I looked at Zephyr, who merely tousled my hair. Sticking my tongue out at him, I looked again at Crona, winking. "Zeph wanted me to show up tonight. That's why we're here… So, what's up?"

Crona looked to the ground, smiling lightly. "W-Well… I just wanted to see how you were…"

I nodded to that, but when my ear completely caught the music playing, a mischievous grin crept to my face. The tune was slow, and inside my peripheral vision, I saw couples getting together to dance. I looked quickly at Zephyr with questioning eyes, and he already seemed to know what I wanted. I expected rejection, but when he gave me a nod and backed towards the wall, my eyes widened. The guy was all too nice to me!

Before I turned away, I mouthed the words 'I owe you' to my partner, looking straight at Crona while snatching his hand. He looked up at me, shocked confusion on his face. I gave him no time for questions, however, as I began dragging him to an open spot for us on the dance floor. Finally, he managed to stutter, "R-Reika, what a-are you doing?"

Such worry. I snickered lightly, placing his hands around my waist while I wrapped mine around his neck. Sticking my tongue out and winking at the boy, I devilishly replied, "I want to dance with you Crona. You did save me, after all."

Man, did he look uncomfortable. He was shaking from head-to-toe, and his face was beat red. He was even whimpering softly. Fighting back giggles, I showed Crona that dancing like this was basically going in slow circles to the music. It didn't seem to calm him down in the slightest, but I wanted to believe that somewhere inside of him, he was having fun. Sighing, I pressed my head against his shoulder, closing my silver eyes. _'I guess he's just not used to the closeness,' _my mind pondered, an obvious thought. Oh well. It wasn't like it was going to discourage me.

And it did not. I did not let go of Crona until the song was completely over. I released him first, and it seemed like he hesitated before letting go of my waist. Well, it seemed that way to me. I backed away to look at him, and there was something different in his eyes. Something I just couldn't read.

"Did you kids enjoy your dance," a voice called from close behind me. I didn't have to turn around to tell it was Zephyr. I mean, I still turned around to smile at him and nod. "It was great Zephyr!"

Crona didn't give a verbal response, but his shy smile seemed to be enough of an answer to Zephyr. He smiled in turn, which served to only confuse me. Normally, I was great at reading other people through their expressions, but I could not tell these ones. Could it be a guy thing? Something that no amount of intuition could solve for me? I wanted to believe that, but at the same time, I didn't, because that would mean that something was able to get by me.

I wouldn't get to questioning Crona however, because he quietly told us that he was going to be heading home at that moment. A pout overcame my face. "Aw, really? C'mon, please don't go," I protested, trying to give my cutest face. He nervously shook his head, but he smiled—I mean, he smiled. It didn't look uneasy… But like he was actually happy.

"I-It was good to see you two again." He turned directly towards me now. "R-Reika… Thanks for dancing with me." With nothing else to say, Crona turned and left, Ragnarok finally showing himself as they made their exit. I had honestly forgotten that the little imp existed in the first place. Hell, I couldn't help but wonder why he didn't make an appearance while Crona and I were dancing. However, before I could question it further, Zephyr took my hand, gently guiding me out to the dance floor.

I looked up at him with a curious gaze as he positioned us as I had when it was Crona and I dancing. "What're you doing Zeph," I asked, finally catching that another slow song had begun.

I couldn't put it together, but Zephyr looked away from me, appearing to fight back a smile. "Well… I kind of wanted to dance with you myself… That's why I wanted you to come here with me."

I'd never seen this adorable side to Zephyr before. A smile brightened my face once more. Truth be told, I had wanted to dance with Zephyr for a while now. As we began to slowly sway to the music, I leaned my head against Zephyr's chest, taking a deep, relaxed breath. In turn, Zephyr pressed his head against the top of mine, even kissing the top of my head through my hair.

That night had gone from being one that I thought I would dread the most, to a night I hope with my entire being that I would never forget. I had danced with both of my best friends. And they both seemed happy with one another for once. That night, I believed that nothing bad could ever happen in this world ever again. I even forgot, for that brief night, that Asura was a threat growing in the world.

I believed life was perfect… That nothing bad could ever happen again…

… I was dead wrong to believe such a fairy-tale ideal…

* * *

><p>Chapter Eleven done! Hee hee, I wanted to make a semi-cute chapter. And the ominous last sentence? Well… You'll just have to wait for the next update for that. Thank you for reading, see you next chapter!<p> 


	12. Author's Note

A quick notice to everyone who has subscribed to, and is waiting for, updates on my stories:

I deeply and sincerely apologize for not uploading new chapters to any of my stories for a while. Things have been a little hectic around here. I will get back to work on all of my stories now that things have settled down. Again, I apologize for this hiatus. It occurred to me that I hadn't taken the time to notify any of you, and I feel extremely guilty.

So, once more, I will get back to work on all of my stories. I thank you all for your understanding.

~DemonicPandaDoll


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